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Here’s a nice companion to William Tyler’s record release show last month at Rough Trade NYC. That show was the start of his tour for Goes West and as it turns out, was only a small preview of what he’s been up to. For the (Le) Poisson Rouge crowd, Tyler pulled out all the stops, playing acoustic and electric songs, and inviting locals Steve Gunn and Ryan Sawyer to join in for a few. Gunn plays on “High Anxiety” from Modern Country and contributes guitar and vocals to a cover of Michael Chapman’s “Among the Trees.” Things kick into high gear when Ryan Sawyer joins Tyler for “Whole New Dude” from the Lost ColonyEP. They make an outstanding duo and the energy on that song is just incredible. Is there hope someday for a Tyler-Gunn-Sawyer jam sesh? Let’s plant the seed.

I recorded this set with the MBHO hypercardioids, combined with a board feed courtesy of the venue and engineer, Jason. The sound is outstanding. Enjoy!

Howdy guitar-heads, and just-plain-old-heads! One of our favorite travelers, William Tyler, Goes West on his new LP, out now on Merge. He’s currently touring the U.S. into March and Europe in April, so do check out his full tour dates for your local gig. Here in NYC, Tyler appears at (Le) Poisson Rouge on February 26. It’s a sure bet he’ll be slinging some tunes old and new, so grab your tickets.

We got a lucky chance to hear Tyler preview the new album at Rough Trade NYC last month, as well as play some songs from Modern Country. In typical fashion he was nice and chatty, sharing some anecdotes between songs and being an all around positive guy. Meanwhile, Tyler also penned an essay about Cosmic Pastoral music for Aquarium Drunkard—more evidence that he’s one of the most interesting and thoughtful voices on instrumental guitar.

I recorded this set with the MBHO cardioids set up in stereo DIN configuration, combined with a board feed courtesy of Rough Trade FOH Jeremy Rychard Snyder. The sound is outstanding thanks to Jeremy and a quiet crowd. Enjoy!

Our friend William Tyler has been a real road warrior these past few years, hitting NYC multiple times both as a headliner and support act. These two performances represent the latter, with Tyler’s virtuoso guitar playing setting the stage for another act. This month, Tyler did the duties for Wilco at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, a legendary venue that Tyler acknowledged as such before delving into a concise but powerful set that featured a brand-new song, “Venus and Aquarius,” along with growing tour favorite “Highway Anxiety.” The vibe was a bit different at the intimate Mercury Lounge back in summer of 2015, when Tyler opened of the two Ty Segall acoustic sets we covered that day, but what didn’t change was Tyler’s gratitude and generosity toward his audience, as he played another new song (tentatively titled “Going Clear”) as well as another excellent version of “Highway Anxiety,” among others. If you were in the taper’s section at the Cap, you’d have noted the surprise among the Wilco diehards who hadn’t heard Tyler before. Part of Tyler’s charm is that how easily he wins over not only crowds that aren’t his own, but crowds who aren’t generally familiar with instrumental guitar music. Give these sets a listen — both the songs and the banter — and you’ll get a sense of why.

nyctaper recorded each of these sets with Schoeps CCM4 microphones. The Mercury show also includes a soundboard feed. The quality of both is outstanding. Enjoy!

William Tyler is a force. “That was a tragic song, in case you guys couldn’t pick up on that, because the lyrics are so clear” he laughed at Bowery Ballroom, where we caught him last week opening for Mikal Cronin. But Tyler might be wrong there. His playing is of such emotional heft that you can feel what he’s trying to say with his guitar, both wielded with grace and experimental verve. These two very different sets covered both some of the Lambchop guitarist’s newest solo material (the outstanding “Highway Anxiety”) along with tracks from his first solo outing, Deseret Canyon. That release saw its initial Merge reissue on Record Store Day show at Chaz’s Bull City Records, so it was appropriate that Tyler brought out two of its most treasured gems, “The Waltz of the Circassian Beauties” and “Crystal Palace, Sea of Glass” at that show. If you missed Deseret on Record Store Day, fear not: Merge will be bringing it out in wider release come early June.

It’s a testament to Tyler’s abilities as a player and storyteller that he kept the crowd whisper-quiet at Bowery, where the new track found itself nestled along nicely next to beloved songs from Impossible Truth and 2010’s Behold the Spirit. People may have been there to witness Cronin’s power-pop headlining affair, but they were smart enough to pay attention as Tyler played “Hotel Catatonia” — preceded by a typically Tyleresque introduction involving being locked in a TCBY freezer. (For the New Yorkers in the audience, that’d be The Country’s Best Yogurt). Likewise, the affair in North Carolina felt more like a gathering of friends that a proper concert, and that was just right for the afternoon vibe outside of Chaz’s. It was a great day to be outside, and a great day to be a music fan. It’s always a great day to see William Tyler, which is a good thing — Northeast crowds will get plenty of opportunities when he tours in June with Real Estate and Ty Segall.

I recorded the Bowery set with a soundboard feed from the legendary Kenny, together with Schoeps MK41V supercardiod microphones. The Bull City show was primarily a board feed from John Koelle, plus Schoeps MK4V microphones in front of the stage. The sound quality it outstanding. Enjoy!

This year’s third Three Lobed Recordings / WXDU co-produced Day Show during the Hopscotch Music Festival was an embarrassment of riches once again, featuring a number of one-time-only collaborations. But perhaps nothing was more hotly anticipated than the brief spring into existence of the Little Black Egg Big Band, named after Georgia Hubley’s solo guitar project Little Black Egg, which she has performed only rarely: guitar luminaries Steve Gunn and William Tyler together with Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew of Yo La Tengo. Letha Rodman Melchior also provided the pre-recorded material that was mixed and manipulated into the live recording.

Hubley, Kaplan and McNew’s participation in this event was brought about in part by their desire to support Melchior, a friend and fellow musician who hoped to join for the day show but was physically unable. Melchior, who has played music under her own name as well as under the alias Tretetam, and in the band Ruby Falls, was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma in 2010, which she has documented on a personal blog. Melchior’s illness has produced considerable financial hardship for her and husband Dan Melchior in addition to the agony of her cancer. An effort to offer further support to Melchior is also the reason why we are honored to offer this performance to the wider world today.

What the fans in the room at King’s in Raleigh saw at the show (along with those who heard it on the stream by Duke University’sWXDU) were five masterful musicians collaborating in real time on an at-times brooding, but oddly hopeful soundscape. Instead of soloing all over each other, each artist blended into a whole that spoke with one voice. Over its nearly forty minutes, the piece gains on itself in increments, with the bed of guitars and Melchior’s pre-recorded effects manipulated by McNew, a technique familiar to anyone who has seen him perform as Dump.

The piece honored Melchior as well as the spirit of the entire event, which celebrated the power of experimental music, the validity of independent labels and college radio, artist-run venues like King’s, and the ever-present, unquenchable thirst that the best artists have to evolve, change, and create. Three Lobed has a fan base primed to understand that this particular grouping probably wouldn’t be playing YLT classics like “Big Day Coming” with a bunch of extra guitars added in. What was expected, and what was received, was a unique offering that could exist only in this single moment. It was a performance for the benefit of people who believe the best artists never stop taking chances and are as generous with the product of their minds as they are with their time. People like the ones sitting on that stage.

This recording was made with Schoeps MK4V microphones in the center of the stage, combined with a stereo soundboard feed by the King’s staff. Because this download is offered for donation only, we are not streaming it, but you can trust me that the quality has been approved by the artists and is excellent. We are deeply grateful to all of the five artists involved for playing this show and for giving us the opportunity to help benefit Melchior and share this music with the wider world.

This recording raised approximately $4,000 in seven days for a worthy cause. We thank the artists and the others noted above, as well as all who participated, for their support of Letha Rodman Melchior.

William Tyler has been pounding the pavement for the better part of a year now, touring relentlessly on his acclaimed Merge Records release Impossible Truth. No surprise, then, that the road has made his stories richer, his playing sharper than ever before. At this point, folks could be forgiven for forgetting Tyler is also a member of Lambchop; these days he’s more visible for his own work, as he ought to be after two song cycles — Impossible Truth and 2010’s Behold the Spirit — that reached the pinnacle of the solo guitar genre.

This night at Union Pool celebrated the end of Tyler’s long journey with new material and old, as well as some killer stories from the road. Of note in particular were the brand-new “Highway Anxiety”, which to our knowledge is not yet planned for release, as well as at least one of the songs that will appear on Tyler’s forthcoming Merge EP Lost Colony, which drops April 29 and can be pre-ordered at the link below. Unlike prior Tyler releases, this one will feature a full band. “We Can’t Go Home Again”, played on this night, is one of the songs you can expect to see on that album.

Tyler’s an ideal performer for an intimate spot like Union Pool, and the crowd’s attention was rewarded with fine-grained renditions of some of his best. We’re happy to see the man step off the road for a while, since he deserves a rest, but this was a stellar way to close out this latest chapter of a fine and promising solo career.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed from the Union Pool engineer Robert, along with Schoeps MK41 microphones to provide the most direct sound. The first track, “Highway Anxiety”, does not include the soundboard feed, but the sound on all tracks is equally excellent. Enjoy!

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

William Tyler
2014-04-16
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

After catching two solo sets, and several other appearances at Hopscotch Festival back in September, I’ve seen a lot of the Nashville guitar prodigy and Lambchop member William Tyler lately. Luckily, Willy T always has something new to share with his fans – be it songs, stories or both – and in this case, he came to the Merge Records CMJ Showcase at Mercury Lounge armed with new songs from his forthcoming 2013 record on Merge (his first for the label) as well as some hilarious new tales from his life. Although he’s a young guy, Tyler has the easy, mannered onstage presence of someone who’s been doing this for decades, and it’s hard for audiences not to be won over by his charm. Dig, for example, is story of the inspiration drawn from the 70s film Heaven’s Gate as he introduces “Country of Illusion”, or his tale of his first job at TCBY (that’s The Country’s Best Yogurt, for those from non-TCBY parts of the country). Along with new songs such as “We Can’t Go Home Again” and “Country of Illusion” that are slated to be included on the new record, Tyler shared “A Portrait of Sarah”, available only on a 2011 split 7″ with Alistair Galbraith, as well as live staples like “Impossible Truth” and the set closer “Tears and Saints”. While Tyler is adept on both acoustic and electric, this set’s acoustic numbers, particularly “A Portrait of Sarah”, seemed to come across best of all.

As I barely had arrived at the venue in time to catch Willy T’s set, and did not have my mics ready yet, this recording is a straight soundboard feed from an excellent house mix by Mercury’s head engineer Kevin Mazzarelli. Given that it is a solo guitar performance, pretty much nothing was lost from not having the mics, and Mercury’s high-end board sounded as good as ever for this show. Enjoy!

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT William Tyler, visit his website, and purchase Behold the Spirit from Amazon or your favorite retailer. Look out for his forthcoming album on Merge next year!

Megafaun are one of several Triangle-area bands that have gone national recently, and they are also one of our personal favorites. Since being introduced to the band when they opened for fellow Triangle-area band The Mountain Goats, and our own Sharon Van Etten, we have followed their progress to becoming a headliner and national act in their own right with pleasure. But on their home turf, Megafaun aren’t just an up-and-coming act from out of town; they are stars in their own right. The Americana-driven band was the centerpiece and part sponsor of this outdoor day show on the final day of the Hopscotch Festival, and they brought with them several other bands we’ve been longtime fans of: Oneida, Mount Moriah, and the db’s. Coming on last, Megafaun arrived to a teeming and rowdy crowd that was as thrilled as I was to see them joined by not only the improvisational drummer Chris Corsano, the Nashville-based guitarist and Lambchop member William Tyler and Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs. Clearly feeding off of the energy of the crowd, the band gave us a rollicking hour-plus set that didn’t shut down until the band said so. We have watched the band move from a trio to a touring foursome already, but with the additional players rotating in and out of the cast, Megafaun became a Southern juggernaut. With Graduciel onstage, the band performed a “cover” of the The War on Drugs’ “Brothers” with Graduciel on vocals. Lighting up the streets of Raleigh with their all-American charm and good humor, Megafaun ruled this day, and inaugurated the final day of the Hopscotch Festival as no other band could.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed provided by the extremely professional and high quality staff of North State Sound, together with Schoeps MK5 mics in the omnidirectional setting to provide a live feel. This show is, as the band says themselves, mixed on the fly, and you will hear some occasional fluctuations in levels and instructions from the stage, but it is a very strong recording and document of this day. Enjoy!

Stream “Kaufman’s Ballad”

Stream “Brothers” [The War On Drugs]

This Recording is now available for Download in FLAC and MP3 at Archive.org [HERE]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Megafaun
2012-09-08
Hopscotch Music Festival Day Party
Raleigh, NC USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Megafaun, visit their website, and purchase their official releases including their latest album Megafaun from Hometapes Records [HERE].

[Photo from the Three Lobed/WXDU show by Abby Nardo. All rights reserved.]

The Nashville-based guitarist William Tyler was everywhere during this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival. Much like improviser-in-residence Chris Corsano, festivalgoers might see Tyler pop onstage with any number of bands – and we saw his join several, including Megafaun and Hiss Golden Messenger, as well as his own Lambchop. But folks also know Tyler as a solo artist of some renown, especially after his 2010 full length, Behold the Spirit. Tyler’s playing runs the gamut of influences, from American-style finger picking to Indian ragas, and any given show of his is likely to wow even the most seasoned veteran of the instrument.

I first saw Tyler last year at Glasslands, and was excited to catch two additional sets at Hopscotch down in Raleigh, NC. The first, an intimate performance on a tiny upstairs stage of the Raleigh restaurant and bar Busy Bee, was a mostly-different setlist than the 2011 show we saw, and included the new song “Oahspe” from Tyler’s 2012 seven-inch release. Any chance to witness Tyler’s virtuosity on his instrument is a can’t-miss, so I was thrilled that my friend Cory Rayborn had managed to book Tyler as part of his Three Lobed Recordings/WXDU Day Show the following day at the Raleigh venue King’s Barcade. That shorter set reprised “Oahspe” plus “Crystal Palace, Sea of Glass”, “Tears and Saints” and “Impossible Truth”. Tyler was clearly among friends at the day show, which was full with like-minded musicians from various corners of the avant-Americana galaxy and beyond. I would not be surprised to find Tyler himself as a future “improviser in residence” given what we saw here.

I recorded the Busy Bee set with a very simple stereo recorder placed in front of Tyler onstage, and the Three Lobed/WXDU show with Schoeps MK5 microphones in the omnidirectional setting onstage, plus a soundboard feed provided by the outstanding engineers at King’s. Both are excellent renditions of their respective performances. Enjoy!

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT William Tyler, visit his website, and purchase Behold the Spirit from Amazon or your favorite retailer. Find more information about Three Lobed Recordings [HERE]

It seems about right to refer to William Tyler as an indie rock prodigy. Back when most guys his age were gawky college freshmen, the Nashville native was already playing with Lambchop. By age 21, he’d appeared on a Silver Jews record; two years later, he was laying down tracks with Will Oldham and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Today he plays solo, as well as gigs with Lambchop, and he also has his own record label, Sebastian Speaks. In the somewhat rarified world of solo guitar players, Tyler is one of the most gifted and most recognizable for both his relative youth and his intense, uncharacteristic style. In giving his 2010 release, Behold the Spirit a “Best New Music”-worthy rating, Pitchfork’s Grayson Currin described Tyler’s style thus:

“Lambchop’s oeuvre should give you some hint as to what makes Tyler special. Just as Lambchop’s pan-American indie incorporates soul, rock, country and outsider music into one weirdly warped mold, Tyler integrates a dozen different approaches. He’s as comfortable with an electric as an acoustic, as accomplished conducting a long, coruscated drone as he is gliding through fingerpicked hymns. The English folk of Pentangle and the American hum of Tom Carter are clear references, as are Indian ragas and Appalachian ballads. Unlike the work of fellow polyglot Sir Richard Bishop, though, Tyler engages all of those muses at once, consistently folding them into surprising revelations.”

This PopGun Booking-sponsored show at Glasslands found Tyler dazed from coming straight from his flight but nonetheless ready to play and share new songs. The set featured only two Behold the Spirit numbers – “Missionary Ridge” and “Tears and Saints” – interspersed with new songs, classics and some hilarious storytelling (if you’re ever planning to play in Schwarzenburg, Germany, you might want to listen to Track 5 of this recording first). After playing the first three songs acoustic, Tyler switched to the electric for the final two numbers, including a 12-minute number from his 2008 record Deseret Canyon entitled “Crystal Palace, Sea of Glass”. Behold the Spirit is a lovely offering, even for those who may not be into many solo guitar albums, but seeing Tyler live is an entirely more elevated experience, a chance to grasp not just the what but the how of a great player like him.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed provided by Josh, the house engineer of Glasslands, with some room ambiance from Schoeps MK22 “open cardiod” microphones. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Tears and Saints”

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